Suzie Homemaker

As I mentioned before, I planned to establish some sort of routine when I got here, and I think I have- sort of. Yesterday was Miguel’s day off. Hooray! I love when he is home all day. Not that he isn’t home a lot, because he is. But a whole day of my hubby to myself? Fantastic. To celebrate his first day off since I’ve been here, I decided to wake up Monday morning and make a ridiculously huge breakfast.

Bacon, fried tomatoes, fruit salad, fried eggs, pancakes.

 While I was busy whipping up our fabulous meal, my husband tidied up. Nothing can make me happier than coming into my room seeing a made bed with folded clothes on top. *swoon*

 We were beyond stuffed and fueled for our day of shopping/mall browsing/setting up my cell phone. Finally, I have a functioning phone. I felt like I was in the Dark Ages for a week. Back to the future…

Plans to go to the beach were foiled by something I like to call the sleep monster. Yes, nap time trumps beach time. We are eighty-five…

I later spent a significant time on Pinterest looking for new recipes for dinners, snacks, and other delish eats. Inspiration abounded. Some ideas for this week are:

• Banana bread
• “Dirty Rice” AKA riced cauliflower
• Stuffed peppers
• GF pizza
• Stuffed cabbage
• Crushed potatoes

Last night’s dinner of Sage Pork Chops was awesome.

Sage Pork Chops

This doesn't look as appetizing as it was. Blame my lack of photo creativity.

 Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• 1 cup broth of choice (I used chicken)
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tbsp corn flour

Method:

1. Heat oil on med-high in frying pan.
2. Season chops with salt, pepper, and sage on both sides.
3. Sear chops for five minutes on each side.
4. Add garlic, stock, and wine to pan and turn to low.
5. Simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Remove chops and set aside
7. Make a slurry with the corn starch and add to pan.
8. Once the gravy is thickened, put chops back into the pan for another 2 minutes.
9. Devour and enjoy!

Today, I made homemade tortilla wraps for my hubs. What a Suzie Homemaker I am!

The flour all over the kitchen was giving me anxiety. I meticulously cleaned up every molecule...

Donezo

 I thought I was on a roll until tonight when I made some honey mustard turkey wings. I say “thought” because they turned out to be very undercooked on the inside even though I cooked them for 2 hours. Gah. My oven doesn’t get hot enough, bottom line. There are four settings on the knob for different functions, only one of which the symbol is still visible. So, basically, I have been turning on the oven, crossing my fingers, and hoping for the best. I’m currently 0 for 3. Today was the last straw. I will be cooking on the stovetop until I get a convection oven. My mind is made up. I can’t take this nonsense anymore.

Not to worry though, because the pasta was an easy masterpiece.

Avocado Garlic Pasta (this was enough for 2 greedy pasta eaters)

Turkey=crap, Pasta=AWESOMENESS

 Ingredients

• 1 avocado, smashed
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp garlic powder (or 2-3 cloves garlic, made into a paste)
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix it all up.
2. Stir into pasta.
3. Don’t eat too much…

Miguel practicing his cooking skills

He looks so happy, I should let him cook more often...

How can something so easy be so scrumptious? I don’t know, and I don’t care. Miguel and I have decided that this dish will be a Rodrigues staple. I’m down. 

Tomorrow, we have plans to go to the beach. I’m stoked. Hopefully my upbeat attitude will not be squelched by the less-than-stellar cookware. I have faith that tomorrow’s culinary attempts will yield better results. Wish me luck.